Whole Foods Menu Challenge {$100 Gift Card Giveaway}

Proving you can make a weekly menu plan of 3 meals a day for $25/person at Whole Foods Market. Plus, enter to win a $100 gift card to take the challenge yourself.

I have a friend who jokingly calls Whole Foods the “Whole Paycheck.” I often agreed with her, not because I felt the prices were outrageous, but because when I’m at Whole Foods I’m often also seeking out specialty items that I can’t find in other places, so they naturally are going to cost more. So when they challenged me to do a week’s worth of grocery shopping for just $25/person I never gave it a second thought as to whether it could be done or not. Of course you can eat organic on a budget, and while our approach is to mix and match across the market, warehouse stores, and grocery stores in order to do so, there’s nothing saying you couldn’t shop exclusively at Whole Foods and still make it happen.

When shopping at any grocery store it’s important to know how they work, and Whole Foods has built-in ways to save you money on foods you can trust. They provide multiple sales flyers and seasonal coupon booklets, as well as meal planning advice and recipes. I was excited to learn that you can get discounts by the case (it was all I could do not to grab a whole case of Lara Bars off the shelf at 10% off) and for buying meat in bulk. If you have a smaller household, freezing the meat for a later date let’s you still take advantage of the savings.

I could have gone cheap with my menu, planning meals that would be considered budget food (rice and beans, anyone?), but instead, I wanted it to feel like we were eating comfortably without making sacrifices to our daily meals. I even splurged on a large bag of shrimp.

Wanting to keep it as close to real life as possible, I purchased a few pantry items we needed like buckwheat flour, coconut oil, and a large bag of grits which will last beyond the week at hand, and I didn’t fret over everyday pantry items we have at home like flour, honey, and yeast.

Note: The Menu is Clickable!

The Preparation Shortcuts:

1. Bake a loaf of bread and two batches of naan to use throughout the week. Healthy Bread in 5 is a great way to get whole wheat sandwich bread, and their naan recipe from Artisan Pizza and Flatbreads in 5 Minutes a Day is also a favorite in our house. Then you can bake at will, too.2. Slow cook the barbacoa early on. The tomato and pepper sauce that is left after the meat is done will become the base for the chili. Reserve a little to serve with the tacos, and then bulk of it gets an extra can of tomatoes, two cans of beans, and the leftover meat.3. The bones from the chicken are made into stock for the gumbo. Extra rice from the gumbo is used for the fried rice in the lunches.4. All leftover vegetables get added to pizzas for pizza night.

Our menu in hand, off we went to buy our food. Here’s the breakdown and the actual receipt proof that we came in under $150. Given that I planned to make my bread and you might not want to, I left you enough money to buy a loaf. We just used coupons that were available at the stand when you walk into the store, and outside of planning to buy beef because it was on sale last week, we didn’t plan specifically around any ongoing offers.

A few things worth mentioning. I opted for a few items that weren’t the cheapest available. I like cream line milk and yogurt, and so I purchased those because they are what we already buy. I also spent extra getting the glass bottles from a local dairy on the milk instead of the plastic bottles that are shipped in a bit further. A few times there were conventional items available that were cheaper, but I chose to stick with the organic options.

We usually don’t purchase meat in store. Our beef is purchased in bulk from a local farmer, and we buy free-range chicken and organic pork from a vendor at our local farmers market. This keeps our weekly costs down a bit, outside of seafood (though we do stock up on that as well when it’s in season). Because we save by buying in bulk, we have a bit of that money left to add splurge purchases to our grocery bill (like cases of date bars).

If the preview above is not working for you, click here to download.The end result is that a little bit of planning goes a long way to making shopping and eating organic on a budget possible. Buying bulk items, staying away from processed foods and snacks, and sticking to a meal plan can do great things for your wallet.

A Giveaway!

I’m giving away a Whole Foods Market $100 Gift Card!

TO ENTER:

Leave me a comment! Any little comment. Tell me about your weekly shopping trips, how you plan your menus, what you did or did not eat this week, or just how the weather is.

For Bonus Entries:
Tweet or share the following on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did:

THE RULES:

This giveaway is provided by Whole Foods and will run until Monday, October 29th, 2012 at 11:59 pm CDT and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years of age and older. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Chosen winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!

Whole Foods is opening this week where I live and I am so excited! I plan my meals 8-15 days at a time and budget about $125-$135 a week for two of us. My husband is in the army and has a hollow leg! Leftovers are rare. I bake my own bread and roast a chicken every week (instead of buying lunch meat since it is a cheaper and healthier solution and you can make your own chicken broth!). I make all three meals almost every day and we eat out about once a week (and he uses his fun money to go to the buffet but that does NOT come out of our out to eat budget).

I always spend more than I want at Whole Foods, but it’s because I usually only get there about once a month, and like you said, I need to stock up on all the special stuff that I can’t find anywhere else! And then I just get sucked into all the other great options, and buy a ton that’s not on my list. 🙁 I do love their coupons, though, and often stock up on stuff that will keep well.

Unfortunately Whole Foods is a good 45 minutes away from me, or I’d do a lot more shopping there. I make it once a month or so to pick up some goodies, but mostly I just like to wander around in awe and try the samples 😉

Love your concept of wanting it to feel like you were eating comfortably without making sacrifices to your daily meals… Going to have to give your plan a try… I do a lot of shopping at Whole Foods as I have several food allergies, and they have the most varied selection of foods I can actually eat… Thanks for the opportunity to win…

We have had a beautiful Fall here in Utah! I would love the opportunity to try out our whole foods store, and this would give me the incentive! It’s about a 40 minute drive from my house…..hope they come closer soon!

I prob can’t enter the contest, but would LOVE to..I do have an address in Mpls =))
But, just wanted to say that you are my hero Shaina!!! I have often spent that much for 1-2 meals out of Whole Foods (meat incl and special items as you say). Love this weekly menu plan. Fun! I’ll be up for the challenge next time I am in town.
Imen x

When I go to Whole Foods I buy seasonal veggies and fruits which are usually cheaper than non-seasonal and I buy extra fruit to freeze (if possible) when it is on sale. After looking at your meal list I’m now craving shrimp and grits!

Would love to shop at the big stores(whole foods, costco, etc…) but I usually end up spending my grocery budget for just a few things. I try to keep our weekly grocery bill to around $130/week for our family of 6. Sometimes hard to do in Southern California!

We spend $150/week for 3 adults (we live with my mom and we buy the groceries) and one toddler! I’m sure we could do better, and I love the plans you put up here! We love Whole Foods, but do totally get carried away much of the time when we go in, so I like the idea of meal planning ahead to save!

Normally, I use the sales ad (along with couponing sites) and excel spreadsheets to make my menu and shopping list….but I am doing a trial with plantoeat.com right now and really really love it. It’s like the love child of my excel sheets and pinterest account. Anyway, thanks for the giveaway!! and your awesome blog!

This is awesome. Our closest Whole Foods is in Vegas- 70 miles away. When we do make the trip in to town- it’s usually to Costco. I would love to get in the habit of stopping at Whole Foods first & then hitting up Costco for everything else I couldn’t find.

It’s just my husband and I now that our youngest graduated college and is on his own. It’s really different cooking for two. One thing I do different is I grocery shop often (sometimes everyday) and just get what I need fresh. I don’t mind shopping often as I have the time and I like that no food goes to waste.

I’m impressed! Normally when we shop at Whole Foods, we are buying the things that we can’t get anywhere else, so we do usually end up spending more. It’s too far to do all of our regular shopping there, but a gift card would be great for those hard-to-find items!

I can’t wait to try some of the artisan breads…thanks for the reminder about how important it is to plan meals for the week. Besides the benefits cost and healthwise, it gives me one less thing to worry about after a stressful day of work.

I don’t go in to Whole Foods because I never know what to get and when I do I end up spending too much money. I usually spend the bulk of my money at Costco then buy fruits & veggies every week. It is probably around $25 per person right now, I feed 4 for roughly around 375 a month. This would be awesome to win right now with the holidays coming around.

We eat about 95% organic but have to visit several different places in order to get everything we need: Kroger, Martins, Pork Farm, Earthworks market for beef and produce and a friend delivers eggs that she raises. Of course, we don’t go to all of these every week, but it does take some extra energy to find everything you want!

I usually try to plan things out, but that rarely works. I usually run in and find something that appeals to me at the moment. I love Whole Foods and I don’t find it too expensive because I usually try to buy the specials and I try to keep enough non-perishables in so that it works for me!

I’m a big meal planner but typically do not shop at Whole Foods but I have been wanting to start including it! I haven’t ever bought food from bulk bins but want to get in a better habit of doing so and this would be a great way to start!

We do not have a Whole Foods in my area, however, my daughter is a teacher in Washington DC. This would be for her….as the candidates like to say: “We LOVE our Teachers”!!!!! They really don’t make enough for what they do. $100.00 gift would be so appreciated.

I love your page and website! Let’s see, warm but windy, and supposed to be getting very cold in the next couple of days (Colorado). I shop at Whole Foods usually on Wednesdays when they have their one day sale, and also stop by Sprouts for their double-ad Wednesdays. I buy mostly organic for my family of six and we are leaning toward much more plant based, minimizing meat and dairy. Thank you!!

I would love to win a gift card to Whole Foods! We participated in a CSA for the first time this year, and I found that making a plan to ensure we ate all the week’s vegetables has also ensured that we don’t waste much of other food as well.

I treat myself to the goodies (tuna salad sandwich) at Whole Foods about once a week. right after I go to an appointment. It is my lunchtime goodie. I also love the bulk items that you can get there such as the pumpkin seeds or I also love the Hint waters. There is just so much there that I love I could spend hours there.

Unlike many, I like grocery shopping. It has become a bit of a family joke. I have been fortunate the past few years, not to have a strict budget, but that was not always the case. I shop at several local farms for meat and fruit. I have a large vegetable garden. I am fortunate to have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, several farms and 2 locally owned grocery stores fairly close by. I am trying to do a better job at planning meals so I waste less food.

I really appreciate this post because we always spend way too much money when we go to Whole Foods so I’ve been trying to limit our visits there to only about once a month. I’m terrible at meal planning, although I always have the best intentions. After reading this I see there is hope for eating healthy on a budget and it’s a nice inspiration for me to sit down and start meal planning! Thank you!

I do my weekly planning on Sundays- my husband’s schedule varies so he could be working some nights and some days- so I have to plan something that he can throw together before he goes in for the night shift- I have doing a lot of crockpot meals. However- I do need to start using more fruits and vegetables- I’m just hesitant to shop at whole foods because of the price.

With a large family, we need to plan out a menu and shopping list, we check the ads and compare them with the recipes we have and stock up on those items..we have quite a few crockpot recipes that we like.. when I find deals on the meat, I use our large roaster and cook them all at the same time and freeze for later on the month

Menu planning? Well, I stick my nose into the fridge, look round on the counter and mudporch (extra garden veggies stored there short-term) and figure out what needs to be eaten or processed for storage first and write that down. Then I look at the next two weeks’ calendar, and note which nights we are eating at work functions, at other people’s homes, on the run because she has a class or he has a meeting and write that down. Then I look at the request list from husband, children, and visting band members. Then I sort out meals and nights and recipes from my insanely anal-retentive recipe binder and cardbox, grab one new recipe from blog, Pinterest or library book, and off I go to make a grocery list.

Then I head to the freezer and pantry, and what we have/don’t have modifies my recipe choices slightly. Some minor tweaking and…Voila! Whole process takes approx. 1.5 hours, broken down into 10-15 minute intervals while I wait at dance studio, wait for dawdling children, wait on hold for someone at the bank…

I love the spices at Whole Foods, they play an important part in meal preparation. Like the fact you can buy any amount you want or just smell them to get an idea of the flavor you are looking for. Also, staff will let you sample many items, just ask.

I love the idea of baking bread. I go to whole foods regularly and while it’s true that some things are expensive, I find the “whole paycheck” phenomenon doesn’t have to happen if you know what to buy. There’s always yogurt on sale, and the bulk bin is my go to. Mambo sprouts has some great coupons as well. I use the salad bar sparingly, buy most veggies at the farmer’s mkt, and still eat healthy and organic every day and can rest assured my food comes from humane and natural sources. Great article!

We try to prepare a weekly menu on Sundays with the kids so that everyone knows what is expected 🙂 Granted sometimes we have a ‘special’ night and do something different but this makes life so much easier!

I always mean to go to Whole Foods to check out their 360 brand, but I lave a local health food store only blocks from my house, where as WF is a bike ride away. For $100, I’ll get on the bike and finally try those brands.

We are vegan (and I’m gluten-free) so you can imagine it can be easy for our grocery bill to get high, but we try to focus on lots of whole food in our diet. Whole Foods is one of my favorite health food stores. The closest one is about 30-40 minutes away. If it was closer I’d be there all the time!

I love Whole Foods! I was just there this week to buy their fresh, frozen pizza dough. I buy alot and keep in my freezer. It comes in handy for so many things and it’s healthier than other store bought pizza dough.

Shaina,
I, gladly, shared this on my Facebook page, what a terrific post and great advice. Those of us who have read this are winners already! Good idea on the give-away!
In our home we do meal shopping and prepping by the month this seems to help us stick to a budget. We only go back into a grocery store one additional time and that’s for the milk, bread, eggs, etc. Time is what gets in the way of our being able to be smart about what we prepare. These tips will help, for sure! Thanks.
~Vanessa

I would love to be able to shop exclusively at Whole Foods (our farmers market is already over for the year), but I just don’t believe it’s possible. I’ve made a lot of changes (no more lunch meat or salty snacks for my husband, who has a kidney problem), but one thing I still feel we waste money on is juice. My husband will not drink water and feels deprived if there’s no soda or juice in the house. I also have trouble ALWAYS saying no when my 2-year-old wants special snacks for him, so sometimes I give in and sometimes I don’t — but the times I give in of course add up. I just don’t have time to bake him goodies or make homemade crackers all the time! I suppose if it’s important to you you make time for it, so that’s my goal, but right now I’m really struggling. 🙁 Regardless, thanks for doing this. It gives me hope.

I try to shop once a week. I am HORRIBLE at meal planning but I really have got to do better. I just make dinner on a whim based on what we have or what the kids want. I’ve never been to Whole Foods before but we do have one about 30 minutes away. Thanks for the chance!!
ashleygatewood1(AT)gmail.com

I love the bulk section at Whole Foods! I’m always telling people you don’t have to be rich to shop at WF, there are plenty of budget-friendly things there. I love your menu and your challenge. Crossing my fingers! 🙂

I have to plan my grocery store visits because my son doesn’t like to shop and it’s just easier for me to go by myself. I know which stores I can be in & out in a jiffy, such as Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s, and what items I buy at each one. My new place to shop is Sprouts. We have certain items that I make every week, like spaghetti and tuna salad, because my son asks for them. We have plenty of fresh fruit as I pack two fresh fruits in his lunchbox, besides the banana I put in his breakfast smoothie. I don’t check how much I spend, this boy is constantly hungry!

I usually shop my farmers market and then to Trader Joes. I am trying to be better about meal planning because most of the time I go with some loose plan in my head and when I actually sit down to cook I don’t have the ingrediants I want. I don’t know if I could just spend $100 a week for my family of four. Love to see how other people do it. It would definately help my budget to slim down the grocery shopping a bit.

My friends make fun of the structured way I plan, shop and eat. However, I would go crazy with out a plan and my budget would never be consistent. I make a menu for each day of the week (I do check to see what is on sale first and what I have leftover in the freezer and pantry). I make a list of items I need don’t already have. I add pantry items we are out of and then I shop. I shop generally Friday or Saturday and try to hit the farmers’ market. That way I can make ahead some meals for the week. It makes a much calmer week with 3 teenage boys and working full time.

I do a generalized menu plan for the month, the each week I sit down and edit it to fit our week plans if they have changed and use it to make my grocery list for the week. I tend to shop on Saturday & Sunday, I prefer Sunday, but our Farmers Market and local health food store are open on Saturday, so it turns out to be both! Our budget doesn’t equal out to $100 a week for a family of 4. Someday it will though!

My husband and I love shopping at Whole Foods! We like to get their fresh produce and their salad bar is wonderful too! I like to plan out our menu’s on Sunday’s. I like to see what’s on sale and buy stuff for our weekly menu based off that.

I try to plan menus but end up taking shortcuts much of the time. I do enjoy cooking more in the winter so now that the weather is cooling I will start preparing more homemade meals instead of semi-homemade.

I still don’t think people realize how far food and the money spent on it can go when you make it from whole ingredients and you are not pouring from a can, ripping open a bag, or opening a box. The investment is time but it’s value is so worthwhile. Good post here.

I too am inspired, thank you! I am always figuring out the “day of” what to cook for dinner that night. I love to cook, I order in bulk, buy grass-fed beef, local chicken and raw milk, etc. I’m just terrible at planning!

Hello, I'm Shaina. Food for My Family is where I share recipes, tips, opinions, and my philosophy on food as Ole and I strive to teach our four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously, and balanced. [Read more...]

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About Me

Hi, I am Shaina Olmanson. I am a work-at-home mom of four, feeding my family and my friends one plate at a time. I share recipes, tips, opinions and my philosophy on food as I strive to teach my four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously and balanced.